Dr. Yuzhuo Wang Awarded Over $1.26M in CIHR Funding to Advance Research in Aggressive Prostate Cancer

Date Posted
Dr. Yuzhuo Wang
The Vancouver Prostate Centre (VPC) is proud to announce that Dr. Yuzhuo Wang has been awarded two major research grants totaling over $1.26 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to investigate the mechanisms driving aggressive and treatment-resistant prostate cancer.
These projects focus on neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC), a highly lethal form of advanced prostate cancer that can emerge as tumors evolve to escape current therapies.
 
Grant 1: PROX1 Drives Cell Lineage Reprogramming in Neuroendocrine Prostate Cancer
Funding: $1,166,625 over 5 years
This project investigates how prostate cancer cells transform into NEPC. Dr. Wang’s team has identified the transcription factor PROX1 as a key driver of this dangerous reprogramming process, and the research will explore whether it can be targeted to prevent or treat this lethal subtype.
 
Grant 2: CHD7 as a Key Upstream Chromatin Regulator Driving NEPC Development and Aggressiveness
Funding: $100,000 (Priority Announcement ~ Early Detection and Cancer Prevention)
This project explores how the chromatin regulator CHD7 contributes to aggressive prostate cancer progression and may reveal new opportunities for early detection and therapeutic intervention.
 
“Prostate cancer can evolve in ways that make it harder to treat. Our research aims to understand the mechanisms behind this progression and develop better tools to detect, prevent and target this aggressive disease earlier.”
— Dr. Yuzhuo Wang
 
Congratulations to Dr. Wang and collaborators Dr. CC Collins, Dr. ME Gleave, and Dr. CJ Ong on these important advances!